Up-down moving mechanism and inkjet printer

Abstract

An up-down moving mechanism includes a support member; an up-down moving member that is formed separately from the support member and can be moved up and down with respect to the support member; a screw shaft for moving up and down the up-down moving member; a nut member that is screwed onto the screw shaft; a guide rail that guides the up-down moving member in a vertical direction; a guide block that slidably engages with the guide rail; and a gas spring that includes a cylinder and a piston rod biased in a direction projecting out from the cylinder, and that biases the up-down moving member toward an upper side with respect to the support member. To the support member, the screw shaft is rotatably attached, the guide rail is fixed, and the piston rod is attached.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. An up-down moving mechanism that moves up and down an up-down moving target object that is predetermined, and the up-down moving mechanism comprising:
 a support member; 
 an up-down moving member that is provided separately from the support member and coupled to the up-down moving target object, and that moves up and down with respect to the support member; 
 a screw shaft for moving up and down the up-down moving member; 
 a nut member that is screwed onto the screw shaft; 
 a guide rail that guides the up-down moving member in a vertical direction; 
 a guide block that slidably engages with the guide rail; and 
 a gas spring that includes a cylinder and a piston rod biased in a direction projecting out from the cylinder, and that biases the up-down moving member toward an upper side with respect to the support member, 
 wherein 
 to any one of the support member and the up-down moving member, the screw shaft is rotatably attached, the guide rail is fixed, and any one of the cylinder and the piston rod is attached. 
 
     
     
       2. The up-down moving mechanism according to  claim 1 , wherein
 to the support member, the screw shaft is rotatably attached, the guide rail is fixed, and any one of the cylinder and the piston rod is attached, and 
 to the up-down moving member, the nut member is attached, the guide block is fixed, and any other one of the cylinder and the piston rod is attached. 
 
     
     
       3. The up-down moving mechanism according to  claim 2 , wherein
 the support member is a single member provided in a flat plate shape, 
 a thickness direction of the support member is orthogonal to a vertical direction, and 
 to one surface of the support member, the screw shaft is rotatably attached, the guide rail is fixed, and any one of the cylinder and the piston rod is attached. 
 
     
     
       4. The up-down moving mechanism according to  claim 3 , further comprising:
 one of the screw shaft, two of the guide rails, and two of the gas springs, 
 wherein 
 a direction orthogonal to the thickness direction of the support member and the vertical direction is set as a width direction of the support member, 
 the screw shaft is rotatably attached to the support member at a center position of the support member in the width direction of the support member, 
 each of the two gas springs is disposed on each of both sides of the screw shaft in the width direction of the support member, and 
 each of the two guide rails is fixed to the support member at each outer side of the two gas springs in the width direction of the support member. 
 
     
     
       5. The up-down moving mechanism according to  claim 3 , wherein
 the screw shaft, the guide block, and the gas spring are disposed at substantially the same position in the thickness direction of the support member. 
 
     
     
       6. The up-down moving mechanism according to  claim 4 , wherein
 the screw shaft, the guide block, and the gas spring are disposed at substantially the same position in the thickness direction of the support member. 
 
     
     
       7. The up-down moving mechanism according to  claim 2 , further comprising:
 a motor for rotating the screw shaft, 
 wherein the motor is attached to the support member. 
 
     
     
       8. The up-down moving mechanism according to  claim 3 , further comprising:
 a motor for rotating the screw shaft, 
 wherein the motor is attached to the support member. 
 
     
     
       9. The up-down moving mechanism according to  claim 4 , further comprising:
 a motor for rotating the screw shaft, 
 wherein the motor is attached to the support member. 
 
     
     
       10. The up-down moving mechanism according to  claim 5 , further comprising:
 a motor for rotating the screw shaft, 
 wherein the motor is attached to the support member. 
 
     
     
       11. The up-down moving mechanism according to  claim 6 , further comprising:
 a motor for rotating the screw shaft, 
 wherein the motor is attached to the support member. 
 
     
     
       12. The up-down moving mechanism according to  claim 2 , further comprising:
 an electromagnetic brake for stopping a rotation of the screw shaft, 
 wherein a main body of the electromagnetic brake is attached to the support member. 
 
     
     
       13. The up-down moving mechanism according to  claim 3 , further comprising:
 an electromagnetic brake for stopping a rotation of the screw shaft, 
 wherein a main body of the electromagnetic brake is attached to the support member. 
 
     
     
       14. The up-down moving mechanism according to  claim 4 , further comprising:
 an electromagnetic brake for stopping a rotation of the screw shaft, 
 wherein a main body of the electromagnetic brake is attached to the support member. 
 
     
     
       15. The up-down moving mechanism according to  claim 5 , further comprising:
 an electromagnetic brake for stopping a rotation of the screw shaft, 
 wherein a main body of the electromagnetic brake is attached to the support member. 
 
     
     
       16. The up-down moving mechanism according to  claim 6 , further comprising:
 an electromagnetic brake for stopping a rotation of the screw shaft, 
 wherein a main body of the electromagnetic brake is attached to the support member. 
 
     
     
       17. The up-down moving mechanism according to  claim 7 , further comprising:
 an electromagnetic brake for stopping a rotation of the screw shaft, 
 wherein a main body of the electromagnetic brake is attached to the support member. 
 
     
     
       18. The up-down moving mechanism according to  claim 8 , further comprising:
 an electromagnetic brake for stopping a rotation of the screw shaft, 
 wherein a main body of the electromagnetic brake is attached to the support member. 
 
     
     
       19. The up-down moving mechanism according to  claim 9 , further comprising:
 an electromagnetic brake for stopping a rotation of the screw shaft, 
 wherein a main body of the electromagnetic brake is attached to the support member. 
 
     
     
       20. An inkjet printer comprising:
 two up-down moving mechanisms according to  claim 1 , 
 an inkjet head that ejects ink droplets onto a print medium, 
 a carriage on which the inkjet head is mounted, 
 a carriage holding member that holds the carriage to be movable in a main scanning direction, and 
 a table on which the print medium is placed,
 wherein each of the two up-down moving mechanisms is disposed on each of both end sides of the table in the main scanning direction, 
 the carriage holding member is the up-down moving target object, 
 an end of the carriage holding member in the main scanning direction is coupled to the up-down moving member, 
 the support member is coupled to the table, and 
 the two up-down moving mechanisms move up and down the carriage holding member with respect to the table.